R is for Rothfuss

Amazon's listing for The Name of the Wind

Once upon a time there was a boy that wrote stories and poetry.  He grew up and went to college, where he took his sweet time graduating.  He went in with the intention of being a chemical engineer, and came out with an English degree nine years later.  He wrote a book during all these years, edited the heck out of it, and used a portion to win The Writers of the Future contest in 2002.  More stellar edits, five years, and three volumes later, The Name of the Wind hit bookshelves, won a Quill Award, and made the New York Times Bestseller list.

Patrick Rothfuss, ladies and gentlemen, is another one of those writers that makes me feel like this writing thing might turn out okay.  You know...eventually.  I'm closing in on a decade since I finished my first gigantic fantasy novel, which exists as a very old file on my external hard drive, and a single printed copy I haven't touched in three years.  So okay, maybe I'm letting that story slide, because I just don't see much value in fixing it, but I can't help looking at writers like Patrick Rothfuss and thinking, holy cow, sometimes hard work and dedication pay off, even if it takes a decade (or more.)

I want to tell you how fantastic The Name of the Wind is, but in the interest of full disclosure, I'll let you know I'm only half way through.  It's long, for those of you who have never picked it up in the book store.  I'm talking Wheel of Time long.  And it's fantasy, so if that's not your thing, you probably won't make it through the 700+ pages, which is too bad because even from where I stand, teetering in the middle, I can tell it's worth it.

So for all you fantasy fans out there, if you haven't checked this book out, do it!  And for anyone who has been working on a story for a decade, take heart: not only are you not alone, you're not doomed to a life of failure, either.  I'm not saying you are going to be the next Patrick Rothfuss, but hey, you never know if you give up now.